Tennessee Data Dashboard

Jobs & Economic Development

Information

Current

Rank

Unemployment Rate

6.7%

The percentage of the workforce that is unemployed. A person is classified as unemployed if they do not have a job, they have actively looked for work in the previous four weeks, and they are currently available for work.

Employment growth indicates the rate of growth at which the state’s economy is filling new jobs and is determined by the 12 month percent change in the Quarterly Census of Employment Wages (QCEW) figures from the previous to the current year.

The personal income of all residents divided by the population of Tennessee as of July 1 of the reference year. Personal income is the income received by all persons from all sources where all dollar estimates are in current dollars.

The state business tax climate index is put out by the Tax Foundation and measures the “tax-friendliness” to business of each state’s tax system. The ranking compares Tennessee's state business tax climate index to that of the other 50 states.

The percentage of ACT-tested graduates in Tennessee (both public and private school students) who meet or exceed the College Readiness Benchmark score in all four subjects: English, math, reading, and science.

The ratio of regular diplomas earned in 4 years for current cohort divided by all members of the current cohort. Beginning with the 2010-2011 school year, the graduation rate calculation is based on the US DOE 4-year adjusted cohort formula based on the year the student entered ninth grade.

The standard number of years to graduate for all students is defined as 4 years plus any summer school terms including the summer school term after 12th grade. Only students entering ninth grade 4 years prior will be included in the cohort. Only students earning a regular diploma within 4 years will be included in the numerator.

The percentage of recent public high school graduates attending postsecondary institutions anywhere in the nation. It is calculated by dividing the number of Tennessee public high school graduates in a given year by the number of such graduates who attend postsecondary institutions somewhere in the nation in the immediate fall term following high school graduation, including the preceding summer semester.

Fiscal Strength

Information

Current

Rank

Bond Rating - Fitch

AAA

A grade given to a state government by a credit rating agency that expresses its opinion about a government's ability to meet its financial obligations in full and on time. Each of the three credit rating agencies (Moody's, Standard & Poor's, and Fitch) give letter designations to indicate a state government's credit worthiness.

A grade given to a state government by a credit rating agency that expresses its opinion about a government's ability to meet its financial obligations in full and on time. Each of the three credit rating agencies (Moody's, Standard & Poor's, and Fitch) give letter designations to indicate a state government's credit worthiness.

A grade given to a state government by a credit rating agency that expresses its opinion about a government's ability to meet its financial obligations in full and on time. Each of the three credit rating agencies (Moody's, Standard & Poor's, and Fitch) give letter designations to indicate a state government's credit worthiness.

Public Safety

Information

Current

Rank

Violent Crime Rate (per 100,000)

590.6

Violent crime is composed of four offenses: murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Violent crimes are defined in the UCR Program as those offenses which involve force or threat of force.

Property crime includes the offenses of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. The object of the theft-type offenses is the taking of money or property, but there is no force or threat of force against the victims.

As suggested by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, recidivism is measured by counting the criminal acts that result in re-arrest, reconviction, or a return to prison of an individual with or without a new sentence for a period of three years.

The average amount of time (in minutes) that a customer waits before being served by an attendant at a driver's service center in Tennessee.

Source: TN Department of Safety & Homeland Security, September 2014

Health & Welfare

Information

Current

Rank

Overall Health Ranking

45

A ranking put out by America’s Health Rankings that accounts for both outcomes and determinants using 22 different measures. Each measure is assigned a weight that determines its percentage of the overall score.

The 15 determinant measures account for 75 percent of the overall ranking and the 7 outcome measures account for 25 percent. The numerical value is the weighted sum of the number of standard deviations each core measure is from the national average.

The National Immunization Survey (NIS) measures the percentage of children in Tennessee and nationally between 19 and 35 months of age who have been completely vaccinated against 11 serious diseases: by the year 2020, the national goal is for 80% of these children to be completely vaccinated.

To count as completely vaccinated, a child must have had 4 doses of DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis), 3 doses of polio vaccine, 1 dose of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella), 3 doses of Hib vaccine, 3 doses of hepatitis B vaccine, 1 dose of varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, and four doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV): they call it the “4:3:1:3:3:1:4” series.